I think that African problems get some media attention but after what happened in Somolia, no one believes there is anyway to intervene. It is tragic, but what would happen if other nations tried to "help?" It would get dragged into the broader war against terror. The solution needs to come from within the North African region.

I do not think that Googlebombing will help. Awareness is not the problem, apathy is.

We who are free are free to speak for those who are not. The thought that we CAN stop slavery and genocide is the first step, regardless of where it is happening. It must be the fundamental principle of our consciences that we respect and support our right to live and to live in harmony with respect for both our similarities and our differences.
Humans trapped inside nations
who practice genocide against their own citizens such as those in the Sudan and the Falun Gong practitioners in China cannot speak and suffer torture and death in silence.
Googlebombing, speaking with your governmental reps. and asking for resolutions, press conferences, NGO enlistment, corporate human rights personnel, the courts: all of these dimensions add up to increasing awareness and raising consciousness which leads to actions to stop atrocities.
Thank you for your attention.

I do not think that Googlebombing will help. Awareness is not the problem, apathy is.

I think Camus said something about horrible truths "perishing with acknowledgement". If you recognize the full extent of the problem, I think that you also have a leg up on it. There's no reason to give into apathy.

hate to use use a cliche, but the current crisis in dafor and the prior conflict between the khartoum government and the spla in the south are attributable to the spread of fundamentalist islam.
without getting into a long rant, i've been on the ground in sudan, i've seen the situation first hand. the only strategy left is to provide military support to the tribes in the west. khartoum was brutalizing the christians and animists in the south for decades until john garang and a few others started to push back. the sudanese government puts on a completely different face when it talks to the west. stalling the inevitable only costs more lives. the un should've sent in peace keepers years ago.

It's great to see bloggers talking about the Sudan. In a June 01 post, the Sudan blog - Passion of the Present - announced details of the 'Rally for Peace in the Sudan'. Here is a copy of the post and link:

"For those in the U.S. Northeast, Boston and Cambridge area, we will have a special opportunity to join together in person on Wednesday evening, June 9, at 6:00 PM on the Cambridge Common, just north of Harvard Square and the Harvard Square subway station, and immediately adjacent to Harvard Yard (see webcam).

There will be people, music and brief remarks, in a simple gathering to demonstrate shared concern for the people of Sudan. Please come!

Wednesday is the evening before Kofi Annan delivers the major address at the Harvard Commencement. Wednesday night is traditionally a time of reflection for graduates and their families. Because of Secretary General Annan's presence, the community and the press will be focused on the world's response to Sudan. This event provides a special opportunity to add our voices to those of others, and spread the message of Sudan now.

Leading the event is Gloria White Hammond, the noted activist minister and pediatrician. Rev. Dr. Hammond has made two trips to Sudan to free slaves, with the second trip freeing 6700 individuals. She will be joined by prize-winning television journalist Liz Walker, who traveled to Sudan in 2001 and is returning this summer. Also invited is former United States Ambassador to Tanzania Charles Stith, an expert on African leadership.

The City of Cambridge has issued a permit and exends a welcome. The summer flowers will be in full bloom on the Common. We anticipate a warm summer evening with a full sunset, and look forward to meeting you."

And a "Google bomb" on the word "Sudan" accomplishes what, exactly, given that it only affects what happens when someone types "Sudan" into a search? Google bomb's are an inside joke: you have to know to type in "miserable failure" and hit "I'm feeling lucky" to participate in the community of the initiated. It's an empty gesture, except perhaps for its value as a salve to the conscience.

Now, making a link to a site about the Sudan the top Google result for some of the top pornographic search strings might drive some traffic to the issue (though probably not the demographic one wants to reach).

Best would be if someone could hack, say, amazon.com and redirect it to a URL on the issue, with a coordinate press release on the issue. That would generate plenty of media as well as driving eyeballs.

The point here is to raise awareness. The next step is to get people to care. To do that we must give people a chance to DO something (because nothing kills the nascent sense of caring than the overriding sense of helplessness).

granted, linking to a website is a tiny tiny little "thing i can do", but it is a start. just wait until we figure out how to harness Caring into Action.

A river flows through a village. Someone thinks "there is power here" and builds a waterwheel... Now... hook that up to a mill...